The present disclosure relates generally to agricultural equipment, and more specifically to a hydraulic system for an air cart.
A range of agricultural implements have been developed and are used for tilling, planting, harvesting, and so forth. Seeders, for example, are commonly towed behind tractors and cover swaths of ground. Seeding devices typically open the soil, dispense seeds in the soil opening, and re-close the soil in a single operation. In seeders, the seeds are commonly dispensed from bulk seed tanks and distributed to row units by a distribution system. In certain configurations, an air cart is towed with the seeder to deliver a desired flow of seeds to the row units.
Air carts generally include a storage tank, an air source (e.g., a blower or fan), a metering assembly, and a filling mechanism. Seeds, or other particulate material, are typically gravity fed from the storage tank to the metering assembly that dispenses a desired amount of seeds into an air stream generated by the air source. The air stream then carries the seeds to the row units via hoses and pipes (e.g., conduits) extending from the air cart to the seeder. The metering assembly typically includes meter rollers or other metering devices that regulate the flow of seeds based on meter roller geometry and rotation rate. When the quantity of seeds or other product in the storage tank depletes, the filling mechanism may be used to refill the storage tank. For example, the filling mechanism conveys product from a source, such as a truck, into the storage tank.
Air carts typically include various actuators (e.g., hydraulic motors, hydraulic cylinders) that drive various parts of the equipment, such as the air source and the filling mechanism, for example. With traditional air carts, an operator physically adjusts a manual selector valve located on the air cart to switch between supplying hydraulic fluid to drive the air source or to drive the filling mechanism, for example. In such cases, the operator approaches the air cart. Additionally, the manual selector valve is generally not configured to control the flow rate of the hydraulic fluid being supplied to the hydraulic motors. Further, a manual selector valve and the associated mounting equipment are relatively expensive.